Halbach magnetic arrays have enabled electrical motors to achieve substantial new efficiencies and powers than were previously possible. Various applications of these types of magnetic arrays have included such things as the bullet train, rotational electric batteries, and a variety other mechanical and electrical devices.
Since the Halbach array was first developed it has been applied to various applications in order to exploit the relationship between kinetic and electrical energy which are uniquely related and can be transitioned by magnetic fields. For instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,758,146 issued to Post on Jul. 6, 2004, a pair of Halbach arrays are magnetically and structurally connected so as to provide energy for propulsion of the arrays along a track. In this invention the Halbach arrays actually result in magnetic levitation which may be capable of propelling a vehicle or other conveyance along the track. The interaction of the Halbach arrays with each other combined with the interaction of the Halbach arrays with electrically independent track circuit arrays is intended to result in propulsion of the Halbach arrays (together with any objects attached to them) with a high level of energy efficiency. While the invention taught by Post teaches an efficient use of energy directed towards a specific result it does not teach the generation of power.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,768,407, issued to Kohda, et al, on Jul. 27, 2004, a magnetic field generator is taught. In this invention a Halbach array is used to supply a magnetic circuit for the purpose of providing a more powerful permanent magnetic field for use in high energy applications, such as particle accelerators, magnetic resonance imaging machines, and so forth. This device shows the effectiveness of Halbach array is in concentrating and efficiently transitioning between mechanical and electrical energy.
In another invention by Post, U.S. Pat. No. 6,858,962, issued on Feb. 22, 2005, a Halbach array is used to regulate voltage and power into a form and level which may be useful in reliably propelling a vehicle or supplying energy to a source requiring a specific level of voltage and current. It is a power regulation device rather than a power generator, per se.
What is not presently available is the application of such an array to apparatus which is actually used in generating electrical or rotational energy from the energy stored within a permanent magnet. In the past the utility of such devices has been limited to the storage of electrical energy or to regulating the distribution or application of electrical energy.
Integrated circuitry has permitted the luxury of increasingly precise control over the flow of electrical circuits and has enabled automated decision-making concerning the precise application of electrical energy at rapid speeds in order to achieve optimal results in a variety of endeavors.
Along with the improvements in the control of the flow of electrical energy and the enabling of precise delivery of electrical energy by automated decision-making, either through fields or currents, has also developed improved understanding and the ability to exploit and manipulate electromagnetic properties of various elements. This has enabled the production of permanent magnets and cores for electromagnets which achieve previously unobtainable properties in the ability of materials to retain magnetic flux as desired or to create electromagnets which may rapidly adapt to produce a high level of magnetic flux and then have the flux either reduced or reversed as may be desired.
The combination of these abilities might be useful in developing a device or apparatus for the generation of electrical energy at relatively small levels of consumption which might more effectively harness the energy from the permanent magnets and achieve an effective generation of rotational energy for a variety of applications from propelling a vehicle or motor to pure power generation without burning fossil fuels or creating nuclear reactions and may be helpful for emergency conditions or to augment commercial power.
While each application must be specifically engineered, the research performed and published to date includes specific limitations of the existing Halbach array. If these limitations could be overcome the Halbach magnetic array could be applied to a variety of functions.
Specifically, what is not provided in the prior art is a means and method which uses the ability to create precisely directed magnetic fields and exploits materials with appropriate magnetic properties in order to precisely control the delivery of rotational energy through the manipulation of magnetic fields as they interact with strong and stable permanent magnetic fields and electric currents, and through the selection of optimal materials and engineering for generating a useful rotational energy.